Expendable Stratospheric Platforms

Posted on April 24, 2008
Filed Under Emerging Technology | Leave a Comment

A stratospheric airship is an airship designed to fly at very high altitudes (30,000 - 70,000 ft or 10 - 20 km). An unmanned lighter-than-air vehicle, the HAA, is intended to operate above the jet stream in a quasi-geostationary position to deliver persistent station keeping as a surveillance platform, telecommunications relay, or a weather observer. Such airship would be in the air for up to one month or for longer time and can survey a 600 mile diameter of land. It will use solar cells to provide its power and will be unmanned during its flight. Though the concept is very tempting, it’s still more concept than mature technology.

Expendable Stratospheric Platforms

However, there is an entire industry launching radiosondes to gather weather information in stratosphere. This is how U.S. Patent 6,628,941 describes this field:

“Radiosondes are the instrument packages launched on weather balloons to gather weather data. Radiosondes are launched from a network of sites around the world at noon and at midnight Greenwich Mean Time each day. The weather service radiosondes collect temperature, humidity, pressure and wind data as they rise from the surface of the Earth to approximately 100,000 feet during a two-hour flight. This data is then input in atmospheric models that are run on supercomputers. The information gathered from the network of ascending radiosondes is critical in predicting the weather. Most countries of the world are bound by treaty to launch radiosondes from designated sites and to share the data with other countries. Currently there are about 800,000 radiosondes launched each year throughout the world. This number represents the 997 global weather stations launching two radiosondes per day, 365 days per year (727,000) plus a small number of radiosondes launched for military and research purposes. About 18% of radiosondes are recovered, reconditioned and reclaimed, resulting in new production of about 650,000 weather-gathering radiosondes per year. “

Space Data Corporation, Chandler, Arizona-based startup, has come with a solution to merge a concept of stratospheric airship with existing technology of radiosondes. Currently Space Data technology allows to reach mobile phone users in rural areas lacking reliable reception. The problem is that it’s too expensive to put cable or build cell towers in low population density areas (eighty percent of the U.S. population live in 10 percent of the U.S. area). Cell sites cost about $250,000. Space Data corporation took approach of launching expendable stratospheric platforms with lifetime of 24 hours.

Space Data Corporation launches large latex balloons filled with hydrogen. The balloon has attached a six-pound Styrofoam wrapped box that contains the transceiver. The balloon reaches altitude of 20 miles into the stratosphere. It lasts for 24 hours before bursting in the thin air. The transceiver, which costs about $1,500, parachutes to earth. The transceiver has GPS that allows to track and recover it (it also has sticker with reward coupon of $100 for returning it to the company). Inexpensive weather balloon costs about $50 a pop.

One balloon covers radius of about 420 miles. Space Data’s network presently covers rural areas in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana by launching daily 10 balloons.

Space Data has raised $75 million in funding and has about 100 employees. The firm got its breakthrough in 2005 by winning a five-year, $49 million contract from the U.S. Air Force.

Space Data technology is a good case study how a small/medium-sized company can tap into Homeland Security/Defense market. The tragic consequences of Hurricane Katrina made all too evident the drastic need for providing communications in emergency situation.

Space Data technology may prove itself as an inexpensive and way to launch backup cellular network in the disaster stricken area. It would take about 40 balloons for nationwide machine-to-machine wireless connectivity or 200-plus balloons for nationwide wireless voice coverage (according to one of the company’s press releases).

We can’t say yet that the market for expendable stratospheric platforms has already emerged. So far it’s rather small niche pursued by a small company. However, if the challenges of extending stratospheric platform lifetime and bringing down cost of payload will be overcome, we may witness emergence of new market.

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Cellulosic Ethanol - Answer to Food/Ethanol Controversy

Posted on March 9, 2008
Filed Under Alternative Energy | Leave a Comment

According to Market Research Analyst the world’s ethanol production will reach 20 Bln gallons in 2012. Still wide acceptance of ethanol has been hampered by rising food prices. So, what is the answer to to the ethanol-food-controversy?

Food Ethanol Controversy

In cellulosic ethanol. Five startups (Mascoma, Range Fuels, Coskata, Zeachem, Lanzatech) are racing to take cheap cellulose-based ethanol to the market. VC’s are abundantly pouring money in development of cost-efficient production method of cellulosic ethanol.

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UAV Launched from Naval Warfare Boat

Posted on March 7, 2008
Filed Under Military Technology | Leave a Comment

According to UAV Consulting, UAV market for unmanned aerial vehicles launched from small seaborne platforms will reach $800 million by 2010.

UAV Launched from Naval Warfare Boat
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michelle L. Kapica

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Liquid Bandage for Open Wounds

Posted on March 4, 2008
Filed Under Healthcare | Leave a Comment

Chesson Labs, located in Durham, North Carolina, got $3.3 million in new financing series A round to further develop liquid bandage applications.

Liquid bandage is a topical skin treatment for minor cuts and sores that is sold by several companies. The products are mixtures of chemicals which create a polymeric layer which binds to the skin. Ingredients to a liquid bandage typically include pyroxylin and 8-Hydroxyquinoline, dissolved in alcohol. Some brands also include an antiseptic ingredient although the alcohol and other ingredients may serve the same purpose.

Liquid Bandage

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Paper in, email out

Posted on January 11, 2008
Filed Under Online Tools, Venture Ideas, Venture Capital | 1 Comment

Earth Class Mail, a Seattle startup, that converts regular mail into emails, has raised $13.3 mln in the third financing round. Quite a useful service to customers that prefer virtual office - you hire postal address, your physical mail is scanned and shredded, you get an email. Paper in, email out - online fraudsters will be definitely happy with this service.

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